By Maxime Dobremel
For a few days, head to Bandol, then to Bendor Island, a five-minute boat ride from the port. Zannier Hotels opened a resort there in May 2026, designed as a haven of relaxation, and it is there that Mercedes-Maybach It sets its own pace, alternating between road tests in the Var hinterland and an encounter with the brand's history. The new S-Class makes its presence felt before giving way to the discovery of the new Mercedes-Maybach GLS. Test Drive!
The new Maybach S-Class: the art of combining power and serenity
Upon exiting the airport, two Mercedes-Maybachs are already waiting, and settling into the back seat makes it clear that the journey has begun even before you've started driving. The headrest closes around your neck like a cloud you're sinking into, the seat reclines to a forty-five-degree angle, and the geometry of the journey is completely redrawn. The audio system is fine-tuned down to the smallest detail, including the vibrations diffused through the seat, transforming the music into something you feel before you hear it. The hour-long drive to Bandol vanishes without you even noticing, and it's at the port that the car finally reveals its true character. The grille, the brand's intangible signature, gains twenty percent in size and adopts an illuminated outline, the word Maybach lighting up in its center for the first time. The twin-star headlights are adorned with rose gold accents, and on the silver-finished forged wheels, a Mercedes star remains perfectly vertical in all circumstances, held in place by a ball-bearing mechanism that allows it to self-level using gravity. Two wheel designs stand out in particular: a 21-inch multi-spoke forged wheel with a gold finish, and another 20-inch wheel with a polished finish. The car stretches to 5,48 meters in length with a wheelbase of 3,396 meters, two figures that, once seated in the rear, take on their full meaning given the generous legroom. Beneath this redesigned hood lies one of the most significant changes in this new generation: an all-new V8 engine destined to redefine how the S-Class delivers its power.
The road tests are taking place in the hinterland of Bandol, on winding roads near the Paul Ricard circuit. Under the hood of the S 680, the latest evolution of the M 177 Evo twin-turbo eight-cylinder engine, with a displacement of 3,982 cc, develops 450 kW, supplemented by 17 kW of mild hybrid power, for a total torque of 850 Nm, increased to an additional 205 Nm. This power output is now equivalent to that of the previous twelve-cylinder engine, but delivered with a restraint that makes all the difference. In some markets, the S 680 is still available with the famous M 279 V12, for purists who value that extra touch of mechanical soul. The car weighs over two tons, which is noticeable in every corner, yet it responds to the slightest input with unexpected candor; the first straightaway is enough to remind you of what lies beneath the hood. The brakes, ventilated discs measuring 390 mm at the front and 360 mm at the rear, absorb this mass without ever betraying the effort, and the AIRMATIC air suspension, linked to the Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Cloud, reads the road thanks to information transmitted by the vehicles ahead. Higher up, at the summit, the wind blows strongly without you really noticing it, so well does the cabin isolate you from everything. It's only when you open the door to admire the landscape that the force of the mistral is surprising. Three driving modes are available on the selector: comfort, sport, and Maybach, the latter pushing the brand's philosophy even further than comfort mode. And that's precisely where the appeal of this car lies: behind the wheel of a Maybach, the desire to push the engine quickly fades, replaced by the desire to simply let yourself be carried away. The power is there, available at every moment, but it never demands to be used. The S 580 offers a lighter interpretation of this same philosophy, with a V8 of 395 kW plus 17 kW for 750 Nm, while the S 580 e combines a revised six-cylinder petrol M 256 Evo with a plug-in hybrid electric motor whose system power gains 55 kW compared to the previous generation, for a hundred kilometers of all-electric range.
Returning to the cabin completes the picture. The MB.OS operating system makes its debut at Maybach, coupled with a fourth-generation MBUX that integrates the driver and passenger displays under a single glass canopy. One option stands out: for the first time, a leather-free interior is offered, combining Mirville fabric, a blend of linen and recycled polyester, with finely embossed leatherette. In the rear, a tablet adjustable to the seat position transforms the bench into a mobile office, a sophisticated Mercedes headset closes off the sound bubble, and the refrigerated compartment with its Robbe & Berking champagne flutes completes the ensemble. The doors open and close automatically with a simple touch. Nothing here is a mere gimmick; every detail contributes to a single concept: comfort designed to remain unobtrusive except for the benefits it provides. The car begins production at the Sindelfingen plant, in workshop 56, one of the most advanced in the world.
MANUFAKTUR, a complete experience
This meticulous attention to detail is further demonstrated later in the MANUFAKTUR workshop, where personalization becomes a discipline in itself. Over 150 body colors and more than 400 interior colors form the basis of the work, including four new combinations this season: tobacco and black, carmine red and black, lake green and black, and corn yellow and black. Experts support each choice, ensuring it remains true to the brand's DNA without ever being imposed. The only limit is where aesthetics compromise safety. The new MANUFAKTUR Made to Measure program goes even further, with a visualization tool called Visualiser that displays the personalized car on screen, adorned with its chosen colors and materials, before a single step is taken on the bodywork. Here, everything is hand-stitched: a bespoke steering wheel requires eight hours of work. The leathers are inspected by a laser to ensure no imperfections are overlooked, before being cut with precision that minimizes material waste. Among the available shades, one color stands out: Black Sparkling, which appears black at first glance but sparkles with thousands of glints in the sunlight. This meticulous attention to craftsmanship isn't simply an added touch of soul to the car. It's its very essence, the reason why nearly every Maybach customer leaves the workshop with at least one bespoke component.
A leap into the past, following in the footsteps of the Zeppelins
This meticulous attention to detail doesn't come from nowhere. Its origins lie elsewhere, in a past that this visit allows us to rediscover. Three automobiles have come from a private German museum, that of Anna and Helmut Hofmann in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, home to one of the world's most important Maybach collections. Of the approximately 1,800 chassis manufactured between 1921 and 1941 in Friedrichshafen, barely 160 survive today, and among them, only 28 twelve-cylinder models are known, including eleven DS 8s with eight-liter engines. Three of these are brought together here: a 1930 Zeppelin that belonged to the Cologne industrialist Viktor Rolff, another from the same year nicknamed the White Lady by the Hofmann family, and a streamlined 1934 convertible that was presented at the Paris Motor Show.
You climb into one of them, and you immediately understand one thing: Maybach was an engine manufacturer before it was a car manufacturer. Driving is a two-step process: you engage first gear with the lever, then everything is controlled by the steering wheel, using a system of needles that you position to change gears—a distant ancestor of the automatic transmission. The car is heavy, the mechanical brakes bite with surprising firmness, and yet the whole experience remains remarkably pleasant to drive. You then realize what the new S-Class truly owes to its predecessors: not a copied aesthetic, but a concept of travel comfort and artisanal precision, passed down intact for a century, right up to this MANUFAKTUR workshop where the techniques of today echo those of yesterday.
Mercedes-Maybach GLS, an exclusive look
After this detour into the past, the stay abruptly returns to the present, and even a little beyond, with the discovery of the new Mercedes Benz The Maybach GLS 680 has just been unveiled. The SUV adopts the design language of the S-Class, with a distinctive grille featuring an illuminated surround and, for the first time on a GLS, the illuminated MAYBACH lettering within the frame. The wheel options expand to include a 22-inch alloy with a 20-hole design, while the 23-inch forged versions receive the same floating star as the S-Class. Three new colors join the Maybach palette: a non-metallic Petrol Black, a metallic Patagonia Red MANUFAKTUR, and a two-tone finish combining Petrol Black and metallic Silver Green. The Night Series version offers its own exclusive wheels and darker trim.
The electrified twin-turbocharged M 177 Evo eight-cylinder engine, paired with a second-generation integrated starter-generator, develops 450 kW of power and 17 kW of turbocharging, delivering 850 Nm of torque—comparable to a twelve-cylinder engine. The steering, revised with a more direct ratio, offers improved precision and agility. The standard AIRMATIC air suspension can be combined with the optional E-ACTIVE BODY CONTROL system, which analyzes the road a thousand times per second and counteracts roll, pitch, and lift at each wheel. In CURVE mode, the GLS leans up to three degrees in corners to reduce lateral forces felt by the occupants. Upon arrival, electric running boards deploy in less than a second when each door is opened, accompanied by an illuminated Maybach emblem on the ground.
Inside, the new Maybach Exclusive Nappa leather in beech brown and macchiato beige adorns an interior where the front seats receive a new vibrating massage function, while the rear seats, for the first time, extend their massage function to the calves. The cockpit is now organized around the MBUX Superscreen, supported by a virtual assistant powered by generative artificial intelligence. A refrigerated compartment concealed between the rear seats accommodates two bottles of champagne, and the wireless charging pad, angled at nineteen degrees, now holds two smartphones. The Burmester 3D sound system with Dolby Atmos utilizes seventeen speakers and a 710-watt amplifier. As with the S-Class, the MANUFAKTUR program is available from launch, featuring full leather upholstery, including the headliner, which is entirely hand-stitched. The new Mercedes-Maybach GLS is built in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Order books are opening in Europe and the United States, after having already started in China.
Power in the service of gentleness
Received by the director of Mercedes-Maybach, Markus Bauer, the visit concluded with a few words that aptly summarized the experience. For him, luxury is not measured by accumulation but by understanding the value behind each object: the craftsmanship, the quality of the materials, the desired comfort. He spoke of a future model that will play with space, an even more generous cocoon, driven by innovation that never seeks novelty for its own sake but always the function it serves.
On this island, the philosophy of the place almost naturally aligns with that of Maybach: a luxury that isn't ostentatious but is felt, in the silence of a suite as well as in the quiet of the cabin. One question remains, almost more interesting than the mechanics themselves: how far can comfort be pushed before the car itself forgets it's moving?
Test drive photos: Maxime Dobremel
Maybach GLS photos: Mercedes
